Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access is a commercial zero trust network access tool by Bowtie. Zscaler Zero Trust Automation is a commercial zero trust network access tool by Zscaler. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best zero trust network access fit for your security stack.
Based on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access
Security teams managing distributed workforces across multiple cloud regions should prioritize Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access for its refusal to backhaul traffic through centralized gateways, which eliminates the bottleneck that tanks performance in traditional ZTNA deployments. The distributed control plane runs entirely on your infrastructure, not Bowtie's, and WireGuard encryption keeps private keys out of vendor hands, addressing the NIST PR.AA identity and access control requirement without trust dependency. This isn't for buyers seeking integrated secure web gateway capabilities from a single vendor; Bowtie's on-device SWG component is functional but plays second fiddle to its network access core.
Enterprise and mid-market teams managing Zscaler deployments across multiple products will get real value from Zero Trust Automation's unified API layer, which cuts integration work and enforces policy changes without manual intervention. The platform's CI/CD pipeline integration and centralized credential management map directly to NIST PR.AA identity controls, reducing the access-creep problems that sink zero trust programs. Skip this if you're a small organization or still building out your Zscaler footprint; the ROI only materializes when you're orchestrating policy across multiple Zscaler modules at scale.
ZTNA platform with direct device-to-resource encrypted access via WireGuard.
API automation platform for deploying and managing Zscaler zero trust security
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Common questions about comparing Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access vs Zscaler Zero Trust Automation for your zero trust network access needs.
Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access: ZTNA platform with direct device-to-resource encrypted access via WireGuard. built by Bowtie. Core capabilities include Direct device-to-resource encrypted tunneling without backhauling through middleman networks, On-device policy enforcement for authentication, encryption, and access control, Distributed Secure Web Gateway (SWG) with on-device web filtering..
Zscaler Zero Trust Automation: API automation platform for deploying and managing Zscaler zero trust security. built by Zscaler. Core capabilities include Unified API endpoint across Zscaler products, OAuth 2.0 secure API authorization, Role-based access control for API clients..
Both serve the Zero Trust Network Access market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.
Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access differentiates with Direct device-to-resource encrypted tunneling without backhauling through middleman networks, On-device policy enforcement for authentication, encryption, and access control, Distributed Secure Web Gateway (SWG) with on-device web filtering. Zscaler Zero Trust Automation differentiates with Unified API endpoint across Zscaler products, OAuth 2.0 secure API authorization, Role-based access control for API clients.
Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access is developed by Bowtie. Zscaler Zero Trust Automation is developed by Zscaler. Vendor maturity, funding stage, and team size can be important factors when evaluating long-term viability and support quality.
Bowtie Zero Trust Network Access and Zscaler Zero Trust Automation serve similar Zero Trust Network Access use cases: both are Zero Trust Network Access tools. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.
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